Summer Pork Chop Salad- So easy even I can make it

I’m not a great cook. I don’t really enjoy feeding people. The other night, in my exhausted and pregnant state, I actually yelled from the kitchen, “I HATE FEEDING PEOPLE!”

So when the National Pork Board asked me if I’d like to be a part of their Pork Be Inspired campaign and come up with one of their 10 for $10 recipes, I thought I was being punked.

But then they told me they’d help me “develop a recipe” and that sounded super fancy and fun. And I do love me some pork chops. Plus, they PROMISED to keep it easy. So, easy and cheap, and I get to “develop a recipe.” Sold.

After a little back and forth with their kitchen team, we settled on this salad. The strawberries can be swapped out for any kind of berries or citrus, depending on what’s in season. As soon as we get a new crop of blackberries popping up in our backyard garden, I plan to remake it with those.

We made this for dinner last night. I’m 38 weeks pregnant. So trust me when I say this was not a difficult thing to tackle.

And yes, it’s plated on a disposable plate. Because ain’t nobody in this house got the time and energy to do a lot of dishes right now.

Of course, Scott got to do the grilling portion. 

And this food safety specialist was very pleased the Pork folks sent us a meat thermometer to be sure we cook it to the appropriate temp. Not that he wouldn’t have busted out his professional grade thermometer had they not. We take meat temps very seriously in this house, folks.

I had the very difficult (not difficult) tasks of chopping things up and mixing the dressing.

Though I’ll admit I nearly burnt the almonds I was supposed to be lightly toasting. I told Scott I meant to make them extra crunchy.

Here’s the full recipe:

Pork Chop Salad with Strawberries and Almonds

Ingredients

1 pound boneless ribeye (rib) pork chops, OR New York pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick
1/3 cup almonds, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper
5 ounces arugula, loosely packed (about 15 cups)
4 ounces strawberries, sliced (about 3/4 cup)

*Optional- crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese (nom!)

Cooking Directions

Check out the official recipe (and nutritional information) on the official 10 for $10 page (and check out the other 9 recipes that make a meal for 4 for $10 or less).

This post was sponsored by the National Pork Board and the Pork Be Inspired campaign. If you want to learn more about the new names for your favorite cuts of pork and see the most recent market prices, or enter to win $1,000, head on over the PorkBeInspired.com.